The ironic laugh became a staple reaction clip on short-form video and gaming edits in the late 2010s and early 2020s as soundboard culture spread across TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Discord. Unlike a genuine laugh track, its value is in the delivery, a performed ha-ha that viewers recognise as a shorthand for sarcasm. Creators use it as a portable reaction when they do not want to record their own voice, and it remains common in compilation memes where a quick, dismissive laugh is needed between cuts.